Going Through a Phase

Posted 20 March 2014 1:14 PM by TCAuthor3

By Carol Ryczek, community relations, Shawano Medical Center

“Just going through a phase.” It’s an expression we usually use with a toddler who wears shoes without socks or a teenager whose diet suddenly consists strictly of raw, hand-harvested Central American nutmeats from an unglazed clay bowl.

It means things are disrupted, for a while, but you don’t expect it to last. And at the end of the phase, everyone is ready for something new. That is what is happening to some of the services at ThedaCare Physicians-Shawano (TCP-Shawano) and Shawano Medical Center. In this case, “phasing” means that some services will be moved, for a while, to allow the construction of ThedaCare Medical Center-Shawano to proceed.

Next month, patients at TCP-Shawano will notice that two services are affected by phasing. On April 4, laboratory services will move from its first floor location to the second floor. That will mean a trip up the stairs or elevator (after checking in), but familiar lab services will remain at the clinic.

On March 28, mammography, ultrasound and bone density will no longer be offered at TCP-Shawano. These services will be at SMC beginning April 14. The CT (comuted tomography) scanner , MRI (magnetic resonance imagery) and half of the ultrasound departments are already at SMC, so there will not be any interruptions in those services. Regular X-ray services will continue to be offered at both places.

Why is phasing necessary? One of the benefits of the new medical center will be having all services under one roof. To make that happen, though, builders have to do some major remodeling in an area that currently includes both imaging services and the lab.

“Although phasing is a huge benefit for all of our imaging staff and will make the process of completing the construction project more efficient, we realize it will be a temporary inconvenience for those patients who appreciate the convenience of being able to schedule routine imaging exams, like a mammogram, when they come in for a provider appointment,” Mandy Kostreva (Malchow), Radiology/ Imaging manager, said. “But when the project is done, we will be at one location for all services, which will be a big benefit for patients, providers and our imaging team. “

We are sorry for the impact phasing will have on patients. It is unavoidable, and will lead to great things for the 2015 opening of ThedaCare Medical Center-Shawano. Thank you for your understanding.